Stolen work of art located! – Key and notes

An 18th-century Japanese carving that was stolen from the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery nine years ago was recovered as it was about to be auctioned in Germany. The Magic Fox, a depiction in ivory of a human figure with a fox’s head, was among 20 Japanese carvings taken on the same day in March 1999.
Ms Seegers, of the Art Loss Register, spotted it as she was leafing through the catalogue. She said: "It is important for auction houses to protect themselves by having all lots checked prior to sale."

Vocabulary and notes

to recover – a) to return to a normal state of health, mind or strength; b) to find or regain possession of, get sth back
To auction sth – to sell or offer sth for sale at an auction.
To depict – represent in a drawing, painting or other art form such as in poetry
Ms is the woman’s title which does not distinguish between Miss and Mrs. Online the woman’s name is given as ‘Ulli’ Seeger.
The Art Loss Register – the ALR – is a London-based organisation which records lost and stolen art. It was formed in 1991 through a partnership between leading auction houses and art trade associations, the insurance industry, and the International Foundation for Art Research. It holds the world’s largest database of stolen art and antiques dedicated to their recovery.
To spot sth – to see, notice or recognise sth that is either difficult to detect or sought-after
sought-after – adj – being looked / searched for, or much in demand
Eg Impressionist paintings are much sought-after.
To leaf through sth – to turn over (pages or papers), reading them quickly or casually
An auction house – a public sale in which goods or property are sold to the highest bidder
A bidder – a person offering to buy sth, eg a business, property, or to win a work contract or supply some goods. The word tells us there is some form of competition involved, because (s)he is not just a buyer – there are others who might also be interested, or prepared to offer more money, or to do work at a lower price.
To bid for sth – try to obtain sth
A lot – noun – an item or set of items for sale at an auction. They are numbered so bidders can be sure what they are bidding for!
prior to – before

Punctuation

Hyphens
18th–century – the hyphen is there because it is used adjectivally meaning a carving ‘from the 18th century’.
Capitals
Did you put capitals in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and for the organisation The Art Loss Register; for the name of the country of Germany and for the adjective from a nationality – Japanese; and of course, for the month of March?
Apostrophes
Did you get the apostrophe in ‘the fox‘s head’ because it means ‘the head of the fox’?

Pronounciation

Auction is sometimes pronounced as if the ‘au’ were an ‘o’ – like ‘oction’.

To see this article online go to:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article3386651.ece